Oakland University Senate

March 20, 1964

Agenda

MEMORANDUM
March 13, 1964

TO: All Members of the Senate

FROM: Donald D. O'Dowd, for the Steering Committee

RE:   Agenda for Meeting of March 20, 1964

The next meeting of the Senate will be on Friday, March 20, 1964, at 4:00 p.m. in room 128-30 of the Oakland Center.

A. Old Business

1. Recommendations from the Committee on Instruction (Mr. Tomboulian)

a. The following statements constitute a motion designed to improve the procedure for following the academic progress of a major. In addition, an amendment has been joined to this motion clarifying the procedure for establishing the major standing of Secondary Teacher Education students.

(1) When a student drops below 2.0 in major courses, the advisor reports him to the department chairman, and the student is placed on departmental probation. The Academic Standing Committee is also notified.

(2) If the student is not removed from probation after one further semester's work in major courses, he is liable to be dropped from Major Standing at the discretion of the department chairman.

(3) Acceptance for major standing for all teaching majors must first be approved by the major department and subsequently by an authorized representative of the Teacher Education program.

2. Recommendation from the Steering Committee (Mr. O'Dowd)

a. The Steering Committee recommends the approval of the following motion.

(1) That the motion of Mr. Simons on a Committee on Athletic Policy be referred to the Steering Committee for appropriate action. (Mr. Simon's motion and supporting comments are attached to the agenda.)

B. New Business

1. Recommendations from the Committee on Instruction (Mr. Tomboulian)

 a. Change of "N" grade deadline to end of ninth week

It is apparent that in some courses an evaluation of a student's work is not available by the end of the sixth week. By extending the deadline three weeks, most students should have a better idea of their standing in their courses. Hopefully, the midterm grade should  be used to help a student make a decision about whether  to drop a course. At present, the midterm grades are only a record.

The following motions are presented for Senate approval:

(1) First two paragraphs of page 42 and second paragraph of page 43 of 1963-65 catalog (from Senate minutes of January 23, 1961) to be rewritten as follows:

 "Courses can be dropped at any time up to the end of the ninth week. The only grade recorded by the Registrar for a course dropped during this period is an "N" grade. Permission of both the instructor and the academic advisor is required to drop a course; denial of permission is to be subject to review by the Committee on Instruction."

(2) Items b and c of the first paragraph of page 44 of 1963-65 catalog (from Senate minutes of October 22, 1962) to be rewritten as follows:

"If a student withdraws from the University after the end of the ninth week of a semester, the student's instructors, in consultation with the Dean of Students, will assign an "N" or "F" grade in the courses in question."

b. The following resolution is recommended concerning a final examination period.

(1) That a period of four days be scheduled at the end of each semester in which examinations may be given, or classes held, at the option of the instructor. The scheduling should permit no more than one three-and-one-half-hour meeting period in the morning, and one three-and-one-half-hour meeting period in the afternoon of each of the four days. The exception to this schedule would be evening classes which would have evening meeting periods.

More than 80% of the faculty give final exams, and it was recommended overwhelmingly that no more than two exams be taken per day by a student. It is suggested that one day of the exam period could be a Saturday. A vast majority strongly favor a break before exams, which could be a week end. The schedule proposed for this semester is: April 15, 16, 17 (two periods each); April 18 (one period).

c. It is proposed that the following policy statement be printed in the next catalog and elsewhere as required:

 (1) Freshman students are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings of the courses in which they are registered, unless the instructor specifies otherwise.

2. Recommendation from the Academic Affairs Committee (Mr. Matthews)

a. A proposal to establish Area Studies concentrations to accompany departmental major programs.

The attached document on Area Studies provides a detailed explanation of the following motion that is recommended to the Senate for approval.

(1) That in addition to the regular departmental major, each departmental major may be combined with a concentration in Area Studies, with the following course distribution: (a) six courses in the major department; (b) six courses appropriate to the student's area specialization as prescribed by the Committee on Area Studies and the major department, and (c) Area Studies 490 to be taken for purposes of writing a senior essay or research project with an area emphasis.

DDO'D:ird
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